Executive committee

Ricky Yu, Co-PRESIDENT

Ricky is an adjunct professor at Cornell, where he teaches engineering grad students and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and management. He has worked in the tech and media space for over 20 years with roles in consulting, product, sales and marketing in both big tech and start-up companies. Most recently, he led marketing, sales and operations teams at Meta (Facebook) where he has worked in over 15 countries during his 13-year tenure. He is a first-generation college graduate who grew up in Queens, attending public schools and called Williamsburg, Brooklyn home prior to moving to Croton. On most days you will find him, his wife (chief nurse practitioner and faculty at Columbia), and two children outside enjoying the company of their dogs, chickens, and geese.

Maggie Louie, Co-President

After living in NYC for over 20 years, including battling Brooklyn living with twins for two-and-a-half of them, Maggie and her multi-generational family fell in love with Croton and decided to make it their forever home in 2019. Maggie has two children in the Croton-Harmon School District, and her family enjoys gardening, cooking, experiencing Croton’s local trails and natural beauty, and Minecraft (her kids made her say that last one).

As the Deputy CFO of a large national nonprofit, Maggie brings extensive experience in nonprofit finances, operations, and grants management to her role at CHEF, and is thrilled to contribute to such an impactful organization in support of our schools and community.

Zivah Katz, VICE PRESIDENT

Zivah has lived in Croton for almost ten years with her husband and three children. Zivah is a Professor in the English Department at Queensborough Community College, CUNY. She looks forward to working with CHEF to support innovation at the schools in our special community.

Joss Citrone Coyle, vice president

Joss is an interior designer with a degree in Interior Design from New York School of Interior Design School and a B.A in History and Art History from Fordham University. She moved to Croton six years ago with her husband, a journalist, after falling in love with an old house, the Hudson River and the beauty of the area. The amazing community here was an unexpected bonus. Joss has two children in the Croton school system. She is excited to join the CHEF Board and to help bring more innovation and creativity to our schools.

Meredith Korn, Treasurer

Meredith Korn brings experience and expertise in finance and accounting, specifically in the non-profit sector, to her role as the Treasurer of CHEF.  She is the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of the Charles H. Revson Foundation and was previously a Partner at Owen J. Flanagan & Company, CPAs, where she spent 18 years specializing in audit, accounting, and tax preparation services for tax-exempt organizations. Meredith also serves as the Treasurer of the Croton Little League.

She has been a resident of Croton since 2014. Her love for the small-town community atmosphere led her to make Croton her home, where she and her husband are raising their three children, all of whom attend the Croton Harmon Schools. She is enthusiastic about CHEF's support for innovation in education.

Directors

carolyn cornell

Carolyn is the Assistant General Counsel at an international disputes and investigations law firm, where she advises the firm on risk mitigation, legal ethics, and data privacy. She was previously a litigator at a large global law firm, where she represented corporate clients and C-suite executives in complex commercial litigation and internal and government investigations. Carolyn and her family love going to the Blue Pig, the Croton Free Library, and exploring all of the parks along the Hudson. She hopes to make a meaningful contribution to Croton’s schools and students and is excited to be part of the CHEF board.

Dana DAGO Clark

As a lifelong resident of Croton & having graduated from CHHS, Dana returned to Croton to raise her three children here around family and friends. Dana is not only proud of our community and school district but feels passionately that our students and teachers deserve our support to enhance their academic journey. This along with the strong conviction in fostering a school community & curriculum that is diverse, equitable and inclusive were the impetus for joining CHEF in 2020.

Dana has had a 20+ year career in Pharmaceutical Marketing as an SVP, Management Supervisor until recently moving in house to ViiV Healthcare as a Peer to Peer Marketing Lead. Dana is passionate about educating healthcare providers so that they can in turn educate their patients and empower them through their treatment journey

SEAN FULLER

Sean has worked in theater, film and television as a writer, in production and as a tech for over 20 years. He grew up in the New York metropolitan area and graduated with a BA in English from Columbia College and got a Masters in Mental Health at Hunter College’s School of Social Work. Currently he is raising two boys in the Croton school system and is opening a performance venue in the fall. He is thrilled to be on the CHEF board and looks forward to help improve the student experience at Croton Harmon schools.

Meredith Hutt

Meredith grew up in the Town of Cortland and has been a Croton resident for ten years with her husband and two children 8 &10. She has over twenty years of experience in the HR field and has spent the past nine plus years at WWE where she is currently the SVP of Human Resources & Operations. Meredith loves reading, bringing people together and spending time with her family. She is very excited to start this journey on the CHEF board and start giving back to her community

christian stuedlein

Christian grew up in Switzerland and holds a master’s degree in International Management from the University of St.Gallen. He has worked in Investment Banking / M&A before joining two start-up companies, one in Switzerland and one in Hawaii, where he lived for eight years. Subsequently, Christian founded his own company for corporate innovations, running and supporting start-up companies in various industries in their endeavor to develop and implement their business plan and related fund raising. Most recently, Christian was CEO of an international real estate co-loving company developing a novel lifestyle concept for digital nomads. For the last 10 years Christian has lived with his wife and 12-year-old daughter in Croton. He is excited to be part of CHEF and supporting the school system in their goal to provide the best experience to their students.

Antonia Simao

Antonia has been an educator for 17 years and currently serves as an elementary school principal in lower Westchester. She began her career as a special education teacher in the South Bronx before becoming a school psychologist and later moving into school leadership in 2018.   A Croton (Teatown) resident since 2017, she and her husband are raising two children in the district. She feels grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the same community where her family lives and learns.

Dan Andreescu

Dan is a principal software engineer at Wikimedia Foundation, nurturing Wikipedia and the communities that build it. He and his family fell in love with Croton's beautiful outdoors and vibrant community. They moved here in 2019 and have two children attending CET. Dan will be aligning his tech skills and bread baking in service of CHEF’s mission.

Alicia Tallbe

Alicia has been a practicing attorney for nearly two decades, and she is currently a Partner and the Deputy Chair of Litigation at a litigation boutique in White Plains.  She and her family moved to Croton in 2016, and they love being part of its warm, close-knit community.  With three children in the Croton school district, Alicia has seen firsthand how CHEF's mission directly benefits the children of the district, and she is excited to contribute to its impactful work.